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| | THE TRADITIONAL ARTS OF KERALA
THEYYAM
A ritual dance performed in temples by appointed people in fulfillment of vows of devotees. Theyyam is the corrupted form of the word Daivam meaning the God. It is purported to be the dance by the Goddess Herself. The dancers are men in feminine attire wearing colourful costumes made usually of palm leaves, cloth and brass jewellery, ferocious masks and big head gear, often extending up to forty feet in height. The pace of the dance is set to the beating of Chenda (drum). The artiste invested by the goddess in his person falls in a trance, dances deliriously to the mounting tempo and conveys, as an oracle, the goddess's acceptance of the vow and blessings or otherwise.
THIRUVATHIRA KALI
This is a group dance by young ladies of Nair community on the night of Thiruvathira (the sixth lunar asterism) of the month of Dhanu in the Malayalam calendar, corresponding to December in Christian era, till dawn, singing in praise of Lord Shiva. For married women it is an imperative ritual propitiating the God for granting lingering matrimony and for virgin maids, it is for the boon of getting a pleasing matrimonial alliance. Attired in traditional white handloom Mundu and Neryath and adorning fabulous gold jewellery, women dance round the Nilavilakku (pedestal wick lamp) placed in the courtyard, singing and clapping hands. It has songs written specifically for the purpose in special metric scale, narrating stories from the legends.
CHAVITTUNATAKAM
A Christian dance drama developed exclusively in Kerala as a counterpart of Kathakali enacted in Hindu temples. Unlike other performing arts, this drama is presented on a raised platform made of planks spread on skeleton wood structure. Actors don in colourful Roman attires enacts stories from Bible with rich dialogues and songs to the accompaniment of beating of country drums. The predominant feature of this art is the artistes stamping (Chavittu) the dance floor producing resonant sounds to accentuate the dramatic situations.
MARKKAM KALI
It is a counterpart of Thiruvathira Kali played by women belonging to the Christian community. Here also the dancers attired in traditional white mundu frilled at the back to cover the buttocks, chatta (Jacket), rich jewellery including Mekkamothiram (an ornamental ring worn by the Christian ladies on the upper lobe of the ear, now considered old fashioned). The dancers sing in praise of Jesus Christ to the varying rhythms of drum beating. It is comparatively brisk in action.
OPPANA
Oppana is makeup. This is dance by Muslims girls while doing bridal makeup. It is an all girls' performance in the bridal chamber. Friends and other girls of the bride's age sing to the rhythm of clapping hands in fast tempo and dance teasing the bride on the eve of marriage preparing her for the ceremony doing her face make up, manicuring and applying henna on the palms and feet.
KALARIPPAYATTU
It is a form of martial arts practised by Hindus. The available historical evidences date it back to the 12th Century and historians believe that it is the oldest form of martial art in the world. Probably, it is the source of the world famous Karate of Japan. 'Kalari' is a school of martial arts derivative of the Sanskrit word 'Kholoorika' meaning military training centre and 'payattu' the fight. There were Kalaris strewn around the state which are recognized by the Government as the official training centres for new recruits in the armed force.
The instruction and practical training in this art is imparted inside the Kalari, a specially constructed hall with ample space of fighting floor with idols of all the presiding deities of the art and photographs of the entire lineage of Gurus. The idols and Gurus are worshipped before the beginning of the practice with all rituals and singing of hymns as in a temple. The master reverently addressed as 'Gurukkal' is deemed the representative of the God of war and the present link with the long line of Gurus gone deified into the back of beyond.
The pupils are trained in self-discipline and physical culture. Before the pupils are initiated into the techniques of warfare, their bodies are toned pliable, agile and versatile by regular massage by feet and hands with medicated oil. Then taught to wield Kuruvadi (short sticks), spear, dagger, sword, shield, etc. The last and sophisticated piece in the weaponry is 'Urumi' a thin springy three-meter long double edged sword worn around the waist locked like a belt drawn unwound in a flick of a moment when required. It is highly lethal for an adept wielder can aim it to swirl around the neck of the opponent and, at the slightest jerk, the head will roll on the floor of the arena.
Flying feats, daring onslaughts and dodging with dexterity are the ways in combat. Defensive and offensive strikes with lightning speed are its peculiarity. There are customarily eighteen 'adavu' (tricks) in this warfare. Seventeen, fighting with all the weapons one by one, the eighteenth being 'Poozhikkadakan', a feat producing a cover of whirlwind of dust around the combatant by stamping the earth and swift circular movement to camouflage him from the opponent and to take him by surprise with sudden retaliatory deathblow.
CHERUMARKALI
It is a harvest dance in which the dancer, both men and women move in a swift rhythm, linked in a back lock or holding arms. The costumes are in striking red and white.
KAALAVELA
It is a spectacular procession of huge, gaudily decorated motifs of bulls (Kaala).
KALAMPATTU- Kalamezhuthu Pattu
It is another folk art form that belongs to the northern regions of Kerala. This art form which is over 600 years old is performed by a group of five or fifteen people in Bhadrakali and Ayyappa temples. The rituals is performed around the Kolam - an elaborated picture , usually of Bhadrakali, drawn on the floor, using five colours. The performance in the light of temple torches lasts through the night. The singers are neatly dressed with women their hair on the side of the head. Aseries of songs (Kalampattu) are sung to the accompaniment of nanthuni and elathalam.
KALIYOOTTU
It is an eight day long colourful folk which re-enacts the combat between goddess Durga and the demon Darika. The ritual is performed in different stages. The climax of the play - the ritual called Paranettu - is performed on a specially constructed 100 feet high stage on the eight day.
KANNIYARKALI- Deshathukali
In which is a ritual art and swift dance form , performed to the accompaniment of devotional songs and the resounding drum beats is usually performed in Bhagavathy temples.
KAVADIYATTAM
It is a ritual dance offering in Subramanya Temples. The group of devotees wearing bright yellow or saffron costumes with ash smeared all over the body, dance in a frenzy carrying Kavadis. on their shoulders. Kavadis are colorful bow shaped wooden structure rising six to ten feet high. The ambalakavadi is structured and decorated like a temple. The Pookavadi has clusters of colorful papers, cloth or plastic flowers arranged on them. The resounding beats of percussion instruments like Udukku and Chenda and the Nadaswaram are characteristic of the kavadi procession.
KATHAKALI
Kathakali is one of the oldest theatre forms in the world. It originated in the area of southwestern India now known as the state of Kerala. Kathakali is a group presentation, in which dancers take various roles in performances traditionally based on themes from Hindu mythology, especially the two epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.
One of the most interesting aspects of Kathakali is its elaborate make-up code. Characters are categorized according to their nature. This determines the colours used in the make-up. The faces of noble male characters, such as virtuous kings, the divine hero Rama, etc., are predominantly green. Characters of high birth who have an evil streak, such as the demon king Ravana, are allotted a similar green make-up, slashed with red marks on the cheeks. Extremely angry or excessively evil characters wear predominantly red make-up and a flowing red beard. Forest dwellers such as hunters are represented with a predominantly black make-up base. Women and ascetics have lustrous, yellowish faces.
The technique of Kathakali includes a highly developed language of gesture, through which the artist can convey whole sentences and stories. The body movements and footwork are very rigourous. To attain the high degree of flexibility and muscle control required for this art, a Kathakali dancer undergoes a strenuous course of training, and special periods of body massage.
The dancers wear large head dresses, and the contours of the face are extended with moulded lime. The extraordinary costumes and make-up serve to raise the participants above the level of mere mortals, so that they may transport the audience to a world of wonders.
The orchestra of a Kathakali performance includes two drums known as the chenda and the maddalam, along with cymbals and another percussion instrument, the ela taalam. Normally, two singers provide the vocal accompaniment. The style of singing particular to Kathakali is called Sopaanam. The orchestra of a Kathakali troupe is unique and provides not only the background to the dancing, but also serves as a highly expressive special effects team. In the traditional village ambiance, the percussionists also provide publicity for the event by playing outside the venue for some hours before the start of the show.
A traditional Kathakali performance begins in the evening and continues throughout the night, culminating at the auspicious hour of dawn, when Good finally conquers Evil. Today, however, it has been modified for the proscenium stage, and urban audiences can participate in this ritualistic theatre experience in the comfort of a plush auditorium, within the span of a couple of hours.
OTTAMTHULLAL
Ottamthullal is an art form in Kerala. It is also known as the 'poor mans Kathakali. It was created by Kunchan Nambiar, as an alternative to the Chakyar koothu.
Kunchan Nambiar used it as a medium to protest against the prevalent socio-political structure and prejudices of society in his time. It went on to become the most popular folk art presented in Kerala temples.The popularity of Ottamthullal continues undiminished even today.
A single actor wears a colourful costume similar to that of a kathakali artiste and recites thullal or dance songs while acting and dancing. The art form is very satirical in nature.
The artist has the freedom to invent and incorporate humour and satire at his discretion. This accounts for its popularity.
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